


Love Interrupted

by QueenJasmin



Series: Eve: Messenger of Peace [3]
Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: F/F, Post-Finale, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:01:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7925173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenJasmin/pseuds/QueenJasmin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Varia and Eve grow closer, they're joined by Lucia and Virgil in their journey to accept a task from the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Sidekicks

**Author's Note:**

> This is a complete rewriting of a fic I started on this site a couple months ago. I was really not a fan of the way the piece was turning out, so I decided I was just going to start over. If you read the original, this new version is basically the same, but a bit longer, with a couple changed details. I'll be deleting the original.
> 
> This is the third part of my post-finale, Eve and Varia series, Eve: Messenger of Peace.

Varia sat up straight. The fur blanket previously covering her fell to her waist, revealing her naked breasts in the moonlight. She quickly pulled the blanket back up to hold onto her chest as she heard another rustle in the brush beside her.

“Eve,” she whispered, and nudged the beautiful, dark-haired woman sleeping beside her. “Eve, did you hear that? There’s something in the bushes.”

Eve turned from her side to her back, with a scrunched up face and barely open eyes.

“Varia,” Eve said, rubbing her eyes with balled up fists. “We’re in the middle of the woods. There are probably a lot of things in the bushes.”

“We should probably check what it is,” Varia said, using one hand to grab the leather top by their bedspread as she hugged the blanket to her with the other. They heard another rustle.

“Is that what you heard?” Eve sat up and stretched her toned arms. The blanket fell to her waist, but only revealed the light green top her wore everyday. “It’s not even that close to us. How’d it even wake you up?”

“I’m an Amazon. If I wasn’t a light sleeper, I’d be dead. Can you hold the blanket up while I put my top on?”

“No,” Eve said, then pulled the blanket from Varia’s hands down with a giggle. She got a quick glimpse of full, tanned breasts before Varia covered them with her own hand and arm. Eve noticed how Varia’s tight hold pushed them into her chest, making her cleavage look rounder and more distinct.

“That’s not funny,” Varia dropped her breasts and swiftly pulled her top to her chest, looking at Eve with narrowed eyes as she did it.

“What?” Eve watched as Varia attempted to tie the strings behind her back. She swatted Varia’s hands from the strings and began tying them herself, as Varia moved to pulling her top straps around her neck. “I can’t see you naked? We’re like family.”

“It’s not you,” Varia began pulling her bottoms up underneath the blanket, then grabbed her sword and scabbard beside her. Another, louder, rustle came from the bushes. “It’s whatever that is.”

“Whatever woodland creature it is probably cares less than me,” Eve watched as Varia stood up and pulled the sword out of its sheath. Eve reluctantly pushed herself up as well, and sleepily stood next to the statuesque Amazon.

“C’mon,” Varia said, sword in hand, as she began walking toward the sound of the rustling.

“Well wait,” Eve sighed and reached her arm out to grab Varia, but missed as Varia marched into the brush. She rolled her eyes, slipped on her shoes, and followed. “You’re being paranoid. It’s just a little critter.”

“If I’m just paranoid why are you following?”

“I like to say ‘I told you so,’” Eve smirked.

“How enlightened of you,” Varia sneered. “Is ‘thou shall always boast’ one of Eli’s commandments?”

“His only commandment is to love,” Eve smiled, then shrugged and added “I love to boast.”

Varia looked back at Eve. Even in the shadows of the trees above them, Eve could still see Varia’s sparkling hazel eyes in the moonlight, and she could see Varia roll them. She stuck out her tongue like she was a defiant child, instead of the serene and warmhearted Messenger of Eli. Varia shook her head and quietly tiptoed forward. Her bare feet began being scratched with the sticks and rocks on the ground below her. Eve noticed and thought about making fun of her paranoid, shoeless expedition, but knew she was already being insensitive. There was something about Varia that made her want to joke and laugh all day, even if she was supposed to be a tender and merciful missionary.

As Eve smiled affectionately at Varia’s back, another rustle came from the bushes. Eve’s smile fell when she heard a man’s groan from the bush just a couple feet ahead of them.

Varia looked back and was slightly pleased to see Eve’s worried face. She smiled and raised her eyebrows.

“Alright, you told _me_ so,” Eve whispered and hurried forward to stand next to Varia, who was already holding her sword firmly in front of her.

“ _Shh_ ,” Varia put her finger to her lips, then her hand out to stop Eve from stepping forward. Even though both women were fully capable of defeating whatever sat behind the bushes, even without weapons, Eve’s pacifism put her at a disadvantage that Varia wouldn’t risk. She walked up to the bush, making as little sound as possible for a heavily muscled Amazon on a bed of leaves and sticks. As she walked around the bush, she began raising her sword above her head. Eve looked at her and was reminded of the stance she had once taken standing overtop of Varia’s sister, right before she cut her head off. She shook the image out of her head and chose to focus on Varia’s face. The Amazon’s eyes widened as she finally saw what was behind the bush, then they became clouded with confusion and anger.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Varia said in her normal, demanding voice that sounded boomingly loud, as it broke through their previous, decided quiet of their stalk through the woods.

Eve realized how tightly she had been holding her body as her shoulders loosened, and she walked over to the bush where Varia stood. The two looked down at Lucia and Virgil sitting on their knees, Lucia with her hand over Virgil’s mouth.

“Hey guys,” Lucia said with a forced chuckle. She took her hand off Virgil’s lips, stood up, and dusted the dirt off her knees. Her mid-thigh length white dress had also been lined with mud at the bottom, but she didn’t fuss with it. “What a coincidence to run into you guys at the spot we deliberately tracked you to.”

Lucia pushed out another shaky laugh as Virgil also rose to his feet. Varia sighed and pushed her sword into the ground. She thought a proper scolding is best accomplished with both of ones hands on their hips.

“So you followed us,” Varia glared at the pair in front of her, who looked like two dogs caught eating garbage by their owners. “Why?”

“Well, uh, well,” Virgil stammered.

“It’s my fault,” Lucia interrupted. “I’ve always thought Amazons were so cool, and I didn’t get the crash course you gave the other girls ‘cause of the whole ‘being kidnapped’ thing. So I was hoping that if I caught up with you guys, I could travel with you. You could train me. I have a lot of bar-fighting experience, so I’m pretty-”

“Ok I get it,” Varia waved her hands to make Lucia stop talking.

“So aside from stalking, what exactly was your plan once you got here?” Eve asked.

“I was going to follow you,” Lucia said. “Until you were in some kind of jam. Then I could be your sidekick or something.”

“Like that would ever work,” Varia huffed. “Besides, I’ve already got a sidekick.” She put her arm around Eve’s shoulders.

“I’m not the sidekick, you’re the sidekick,” Eve elbowed Varia in the side.

“I mean both of your guys’ sidekick,” Lucia smiled. “I’ll be like the Joxer to your Xena and Gabrielle. Except a better fighter and not as thickheaded.”

“ _Hey_ ,” Virgil groaned.

“But with the heart of gold and absolute courage he had,” Lucia flashed her white teeth at Virgil. He still found her smile breathtaking even in the dark, and even after she had insulted the memory of his father.

“So why are you here,” Eve looked to Virgil.

“Well I couldn’t let her come alone,” Virgil said. “I mean, she’s already been kidnapped once just for being in the same tavern as you two. She needs a protector.”

Virgil puffed his chest out, and Varia and Eve noticed a hurried flexing of his defined peck muscles. They looked to each other with a knowing smirk. They knew the real reason he was following Lucia was because he was undoubtedly in love with her.

“I don’t need a protector,” Lucia rolled her eyes. “But he does have more experience travelling with warriors than I do, so I let him come.”

Virgil’s chest fell.

“Well we’re flattered that you want to join us,” Varia said, leaning over to pick her sword up, then turning to go back to her bedspread. “But we travel alone. You’re going home in the morning.”

“I won’t stay home,” Lucia yelled, following behind Varia and Eve as they walked back.

“What the big deal, Varia?” Eve whispered, as Varia practically pulled her back to their campsite with her. “I don’t mind traveling with those two.”

“Because they’ll get themselves killed travelling with us,” Varia said loudly, wanting Lucia and Virgil to hear as they trailed behind.

“Look I’m really smart,” Lucia picked up her pace to walk right beside the two. Virgil did the same, until all four were walking in a line. “And I’ve saved a lot of money working at the Inn. I could be very valuable to you.”

“We don’t need your money,” Varia said.

“Well actually-” Eve began.

“Look,” Varia stopped walking, and the rest of the group followed suit. “Eve doesn’t fight because she’s taken a vow of pacifism. And you’ve made a living off submitting to men. I don’t need to be guarding two women.”

“I do not submit to men!” Lucia crossed her arms.

“It’s true,” Virgil added. “She was the Inn’s most popular dominatrix.”

Lucia elbowed Virgil, then continued, “I have just as much potential to be a warrior as any woman. Believe me, I grew up on some tough streets.”

“Besides,” Virgil said while rubbing his side from Lucia’s impressive jab. “I’ve travelled with Xena, Gabrielle, and Eve. I can handle myself and protect Lucia if needed.”

“He is a good fighter,” Eve said, sounding calmer than any of the other four.

Varia sighed, then after a moment of silence, conceded. “Alright,” she said finally. “You can travel with us for a little while, just long enough to learn some moves.”

Lucia lips stretched into a wide grin as she began squealing and jumping in excitement. Virgil couldn’t help but look at how her perky breasts bounced with each hop, causing Varia to kick dirt on him when she noticed his gaze. Lucia didn’t notice, and instead began eagerly thanking Varia for her decision.

“You will not regret this,” Lucia said as her jumping died down.

“Go get whatever you brought with you,” Eve said with a smile. “You guys can sleep next to us tonight.”

Varia groaned and turned from the group back to her bed. Eve followed with a satisfied smirk.

“You all better get some sleep,” Varia said as she laid down and pulled the blanket back over her, this time leaving her clothes on. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

“What are we doing tomorrow?” Virgil asked.

“We’re going to meet an old friend of Xena’s,” Varia said as she turned onto her side, ready to be out for the night. “Probably someone Lucia’s a big fan of. Aphrodite, the goddess of Love.”

  


 


	2. The New Mission

Eve held Varia’s arm gently as the two walked with leisure down the market’s street, stepping so close to one another that Varia could feel Eve’s soft, wavy hair fall onto both of their shoulders.

“I still don’t like this whole thing,” Varia said, staring at Lucia and Virgil ahead of them, looking through apparel at a nearby colorful tent. She scoffed as she saw Lucia trying on scarfs and assessing her outfit.

“Give them a break, Varia,” Eve laughed. “They’re just sick of the tavern life. They need to see the world for a bit. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“They don’t have to travel with warriors to see the world,” Varia said dryly, then lifted her arm up, gesturing to the pair in front of them. “Look at them. She’s buying a scarf. She wants to be a warrior and she’s buying a scarf. A scarf won’t do her any good in a battle. What if it gets caught on something? Like her neck while someone strangles her with it.”

“By the Gods, Varia,” Eve laughed again, then let go of Varia to step up to the fruit stand in front of them. “First of all, she’s not traveling with warriors. She’s traveling with an Amazon and a pacifist missionary.”

“A missionary that can fight if she needs to,” Varia said.

“But won’t,” Eve said as she began picking through grapes at the stand. “And second, it’s not like your outfit is totally practical either.” Varia’s eyes narrowed and she followed Eve to the stand.

“Hey, my clothes are Amazon battle-ready. Sure there’s not a lot covered, but I can move in them; and that’s more than can be said for Lucia and her corsets.”

“Those aren’t corsets,” Eve said while Varia stuck a grape in her mouth. She elbowed Varia and gave her the ‘remember you have to pay for that’ look she had given multiple times during their traveling together. As an Amazon that hunted for most of her food, she wasn’t used to paying for nourishment.

“What?” Varia said with her eyebrows scrunched together.

“That’s just the way her waist looks,” Eve said, putting some grapes into her basket.

“By the _gods_ ” Varia gasped. “Make sure we get some extra food for her, that is not healthy.”

“I’m trying,” Eve groaned as she began inspecting apples. “We don’t really have many dinars. Kind of another reason it’s good to have Lucia and Virgil around.”

“Can’t you just perform some exorcisms and we’ll charge for it?”

Eve looked up from the apples to roll her eyes. “I don’t exercise, I heal people through prayer; and you and I both know that taking payment for saving a life is immoral.”

“And selling your body isn’t?” Varia said, referring to Lucia’s career as a prostitute at Meg’s Inn, something she never really agreed with.

“A woman cannot sell her body,” Eve went back to sorting through fruit. “ No matter how many people Lucia sleeps with, no one can own her body but her.”

“You know what I mean.”

After filling her basket, Eve stepped forward to pay for her assorted fruit, then turned to face Varia.

“Is that what this is about?” Eve asked. “You don’t want her around because you don’t agree with her choices?”

“It’s not that I think she’s less of a person because she does what she does, I just think she’s not cut out for our lifestyle is all.”

“And what lifestyle is that?” Eve looked into Varia’s hazel eyes, trying to make her understand. “If you’ve forgotten, I’m not a fighter anymore. If you’re so sure we’re going to find ourselves in trouble, Lucia’s maybe more cut out for it than I am. She hasn’t taken a vow of nonviolence.”

“Yeah, but you still _can_ fight. You have some amazing moves, and if we get into a tough situation, you could just-”

“Varia,” Eve said sternly. “I don’t do that anymore.”

Varia’s lips pursed as she looked to the ground in silence. Eve put her hand up to Varia’s cheek and stroked it gently, until Varia looked back into her eyes. “I’m sorry, but that’s behind me. We aren’t going to be Xena and Gabrielle. We aren’t going to punch bad guys together. That’s not how I want to save the world.”

“I know,” Varia said softly, reaching up the touch Eve’s hand on her cheek. “It’s just hard to not think about that fire in your eyes when I watched you fight before. Or how acrobatic your moves are. You are such a beautiful fighter. You’re beautiful when you’re not fighting too though.”

“Oh stop, you’ll make me blush,” Eve said grinning, then took her hand off Varia’s face. Varia smiled slightly, while thinking about how it was her that might be blushing. Calling Eve beautiful to her face suddenly made her cheeks feel hot and she ducked her head low in the hopes Eve wouldn’t see.

“Hey guys,” Lucia said with a sparkling white grin as she and Virgil walked up to meet the two. Lucia wore a new, light pink dress that tightly hugged her slim waist, securely pushed up her glistening breasts, and ended just barely below her round bottom, which Virgil was noticeably avoiding a glance at. “You like my new dress? I thought it was perfect to meet the goddess of love. I heard she loves pink.”

“She does,” Eve said.

“And she loves shirtless men,” Varia smirked and gestured to Virgil, who’s bare muscled chest stood naked in the bright sunlight, glistening slightly with sweat. “You look like you’ve been working out, trying to impress someone?”

Virgil’s eyes widened as his jaw clenched. “No,” he said sternly, while glaring at Varia. She grinned.

Lucia didn’t seem to notice the teasing, or realize the person Varia was accusing Virgil of peacocking to was herself, and went on to pull more newly acquired merchandise from her bag.  
            “I also got this scarf,” Lucia announced with a chipper smile. Varia sighed audibly and rolled her eyes, as Eve brought her hand up to her mouth, hiding her own smirk.

“Forget your fucking fashion,” Varia pushed down Lucia’s hand that was proudly holding her new, light purple scarf high. “We’re going to shop for something more important. You’re going to buy your first weapon.”

 

The four travellers approached the steps of Aphrodite’s temple, all noticing the two large statues that stood at the sides of the entranceway, both nude interpretations of the beautiful and full-figured goddess. Virgil tucked his head down, avoiding direct glances at the divine woman’s stripped body. Lucia stared at them in an excited amazement, even reaching out to touch the sculpted smoothness of Aphrodite’s stomach. Varia rolled her eyes while her lips formed into a snarl. Eve glanced at the statues and continued walking unaffected into the temple.

“You know,” Varia said as the four stepped into the temple, decorated in pink pillows, sensuous candles, and overly expensive artwork. “There’s no way she’s naturally hairless down there.”

“Speak for yourself,” said the confident voice of a woman, about half a second before a sparkling gold outline revealed the body of the Goddess of Love herself. Aphrodite stood with her hands on her slim hips, and sly smile on her soft pink lips.

Varia rolled her eyes again, noticing the flirty pink and white lingerie Dite was barely dressed in. Virgil looked to the floor. Lucia beamed as her eyes glued to the flawless figure in front of her. Eve smiled and reached out to hug the woman that once almost let her be murdered by other paranoid gods.

“Evie,” Aphrodite said, also reaching out for a hug. “I’m so sorry to hear about Xena.”

“All heroes perish eventually,” Eve said as the two released from their tight embrace.

“How’s Gabby doing,” Aphrodite asked, while fixing her thick, curly, blonde hair to sit attractively on her shoulders.

“She’s good,” Eve said. “She’s with her Amazon sisters. I think that’s where she needs to be right now.”

“Community is good, it’s tough to lose a soul mate. So who are all your friends?” Aphrodite smiled as she turned to look at Varia, Virgil, and Lucia.

“This is Varia, an Amazon friend of Gabrielle’s; Lucia, a worker from Meg’s Inn; and Virgil, Joxer’s son,” Eve said. Looking at Virgil, Aphrodite’s mouth opened and her hand hurried to rest on her voluptuous chest.

“You’re Joxer’s kid?” She said with a gasp, then quickly stepped forward to wrap her arms Virgil, who stood awkwardly with his hands at his side. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Your father was such a sweetheart.”

“You knew my dad?” Virgil asked with furrowed forehead.

“Oh yeah, he helped me with some goddess stuff. He had such a big heart.”

Eve briefly considered interjecting to add that, from what Gabrielle had told her, Joxer’s “help” wasn’t exactly from a consensual agreement; but noticing the proud smile on Virgil’s face at the mention of his father, she pressed her lips together instead.

“So why exactly did you want us to meet you here?” Varia asked, ready to be out of the gratuitously pink temple as soon as possible.

“I need your help,” Aphrodite said, facing Eve and Varia after releasing Virgil from her tight embrace. “As you know, I am one of two Olympic gods left. After Ares got his godhood back, him and I decided to split the duties of our deceased siblings between us. I’ve had to start touching a bunch of dirt and stuff trying to take over Artemis’s jobs because apparently she handled like all the outdoor work, and I’ve had to read a bunch of long, boring bullshit to help a bunch of whiny ‘intellectual’ mortals for Athena. It’s been like super hard, but I was doing just fine until Ares got word of your mother’s death. He was doing some of Hades’ old work in the underworld, and once he got the news, he just stayed down there and I haven’t even heard anything from him in over a month. Since Hermes is gone, there’s like no way to communicate with the underworld anymore besides just physically going down there. So that’s why I need you.”

“You want us to go into the underworld to get Ares for you,” Eve said.

Aphrodite nodded. “Of course you don’t have to go right now,” she said. “I was thinking you could stay here a couple days and rest up, I have plenty of beds and food for you guys, and then once you’re ready, I can just pop you down there.”

“Why don’t you just go yourself?” Varia asked.

“ _Hello_ ,” Aphrodite spread her arms out at her sides. “I have an entire world to watch over. I have to oversee the oceans, and create storms, and supervise the harvests, I’m a little busy. Besides, it’s creepy down there.” She turned to Eve. “Evie, you have Xena’s blood in you, and you know Ares better than any mortal. You’re the best person to console him and bring him back home.”

“Why don’t we just leave him down there?” Varia pushed.

“And what make me do everything by myself?” Aphrodite looked to Varia with disdain, then softened her face and looked back to Eve. “I know you don’t exactly have great history with him, or me either for that matter. But he’s my brother. I need to know he’s ok.”

“We’ll do it,” Eve nodded.

“We’re going into the underworld?” Lucia asked, as her and Virgil’s eyes opened wide in fear. “Isn’t that really dangerous?”

“I thought you wanted to become a warrior?” Varia crossed her arms.

“I mean, yeah, but couldn’t I start by like beating up some drunk guys instead of going directly into hell?”

“You guys aren’t going,” Eve looked at Lucia and Virgil. “We’re all going to stay the night here, then in the morning Varia and I will go down to get Ares. You two will stay here with Aphrodite.”

“Thank you so much Evie,” Aphrodite briefly hugged Eve again, then turned to walk down the hall to their right. “C’mon, I’ll show you were your beds are.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Varia and Eve stared into the dark, dismal world before them. The waters of the River Styx displayed an uncompromising blackness, slightly lessened with the red-ish reflection of fire torches that barely illuminated their path ahead. In the distance, the women could faintly hear the echoes of screams from those that had been damned to eternity in Tartarus. Beside them, laid the bones and rotting flesh of human beings, some piled on top of one another, and some spread across the stone floor beneath them. The smell was intolerable.

“Yucky isn’t it?” Aphrodite asked, as she looked around the entrance to the Underworld with a discernible queasiness. 

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Varia whispered, wrinkling her nose and turning her head away from the corpses beneath her.

“What happened to all of these people?” Eve looked down to the skeletal remains at her feet, some with a remaining clinging flesh.

“We aren’t exactly sure,” Aphrodite said. “It got pretty messy down here once Hades was gone. Charon took off for a while. Ares found him wandering around some beach in Athens, but by the time he brought him back, all these people were…” She gestured to a pile of bodies next to them, but looked away almost immediately after catching a glimpse of the demise.  “It’s just so sad.” 

“How does that happen?” Varia asked. “They were just crossing over.”

“Some powerful forces can kill even the already dead,” Aphrodite said. 

“And you have no idea what that force was?” Varia asked.

Aphrodite shrugged. “It was chaos down here when the other Olympians fell. I was the only one left and I just couldn’t bring myself to take over Hades duties. All that death, and the grieving.”

“I guess love and death don’t make the best match,” Eve said, quietly. 

“So you just let the Underworld freely operate,” Varia narrowed her eyes at Aphrodite. “You didn’t think the place that held some of the world’s most evil souls might need some  checking up on  every once in awhile?”

“Hey I didn’t know this was going to happen,” Aphrodite said in a firm voice as she tightly crossed her arms across her chest . “I’ve been the Goddess of Love my whole life. And then Xena kills the rest of the Olympians and suddenly I have to watch over everything. Artemis wasn’t around to bless childbirths, Athena wasn’t here to inspire all the reading or whatever, and I even had to oversee Hermes stupid trade deals, which involved way more math than you would think. Excuse me if I didn’t make regular visits to the land of the dead. It’s depressing, it smells bad, and hello, does this look like my aesthetic?” Aphrodite gestured to the dark and haunting world around her, contrasted sharply with her bright pink, barely-there, attire. Varia rolled her eyes dramatically and snarled her lips in disgust. 

“So this happened once Hades left,” Eve said.

Aphrodite bowed her head to the ground, looking away from Eve as she frowned and nodded solemnly, knowing what was happening in the ex-warriors mind. 

“This is happened because of me,” Eve said.

“No, sweetie,” Aphrodite said in a soft tone, touching Eve’s arm and rubbing it for a moment. 

“What are you talking about?” Varia asked.

“My mother killed Hades so that I could live,” Eve shrugged.

“That’s not your fault,” Aphrodite said.

“Yeah. It was the Gods that got so fucking power hungry and paranoid once you were born,” Varia looked to Aphrodite. “No offense.” Aphrodite shrugged, but kept her eyes down as Varia continued. “They did this. Not you or Xena.”

“It’s okay,” Eve said. “I don’t want to place blame on anyone anymore, including myself. But because I lived, others suffered. I have to acknowledge that.”

Varia smiled at Eve, and reached forward to stroke her cheek. “Well then we should also acknowledge that I’ll always be glad you lived.”

“While I usually appreciate such sentimental displays of affection,” Aphrodite said. “I need to leave before I get desensitized to the smell of death around here.” 

“What do you mean leave?” Varia glared at Aphrodite.

“You’re not coming farther in with us?” Eve said.

“Sorry, Evie. Love and death just don’t mix very well. I can’t go any farther than this. It’s just get too much for me.”

“Well this place exactly put us in a jolly mood either, but we’re still going in. You’re the one that wants us to do this, and you can’t even manage the courage to-” Varia’s voice was rising.

“It’s ok,” Eve interrupted, and put her hand on Varia’s arm to calm her. “We can handle ourselves from here.”

Aphrodite scowled at Varia for a moment before softening and turning to give Eve a hug goodbye. “Charon should be here any minute now. He’ll take you farther.”

Eve hugged Aphrodite as Varia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“Tell my bro I love him,” Aphrodite said, before snapping herself away with a gold sparkle. 

“Couldn’t she have just popped us all the way into the Underworld?” Varia huffed.

“If this is what it looks like here, who knows what state the other side is in.”

“Well I’m glad she spared herself the torment. It’s not like we don’t already have a disadvantage here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Neither one of us has a completely stellar relationship with Ares, and she expects us to retrieve him for her? The same asshole that turned you into the Bitch of Rome and almost tricked me into destroying the Amazon nation. All to satisfy his own selfish needs.”

“He wasn’t the most positive influence in our lives,” Eve reached to touch Varia’s hand softly, still placed in the arms firmly crossed on her chest. “But he’s a man who’s grieving someone we all loved. We have to extend some compassion.”

Varia rolled her eyes again. “I’m still going to help. I’m just saying.”

 

Aphrodite popped back to her temple. Her muscles loosened as she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of roses, happy to be away from the stench and sounds of Hell’s entrance. 

“Ares better be damn grateful when he gets back,” Aphrodite walked to one of the many floor-length mirrors of the room. She toyed with her curled blonde hair, still almost as perfectly placed as it had been before her trip to the River, and she looked at her reflection with a frustrated frown. “I swear, if I get frown lines from this…”

Aphrodite’s presence in the mirror changed then from a reflection of her movements, to having an animation all its own, and her reflection looked at her with a smirk.

“You’re immortal, sweetie,” Aphrodite’s reflection said. “You don’t get frown lines.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Aphrodite’s frown didn’t fade;  she instead crossed her arms onto her chest and looked down to the floor . 

“You’re not still upset about all the stuff the Amazon said are you?” Her reflection asked.

“I don’t know. This God stuff just isn’t as much fun as it used to be is all.”

“Was being mortal fun?”

“God no,” Aphrodite scoffed. “But now that Ar’s gone and I have to do all this extra work, and go to all these icky places, it’s like I don’t even have time for love anymore. And _hello_ , that's sort of my thing.” 

“Yeah, that does bite,” Aphrodite’s reflection pursed her lips as she looked away in concentration. “So we just gotta get back to the stuff you did before. I know! You just need to get laid. Nothing cheers up the goddess of sex like a good boink from a hot, sweaty guy.”

“I don’t know,” Aphrodite furrowed her brows.

“A hot, sweaty girl?”

“No,” she sighed.

“You are depressed.”

Aphrodite shrugged.

“Well, what else does the goddess of love do besides have crazy hot sex with the most gorgeous mortals?” Aphrodites' reflection asked. 

“I don’t know,” Aphrodite shrugged again and held her arms tightly against her. “I collect pretty things, cast spells on mortals, try to get more temples than anyone else, help people…”

“Well duh!” Her reflection interrupted. “If you wanna feel like the goddess of love again, you just have to help some poor souls find it!”

Aphrodite lit up; a smile stretched across her face, and her arms dropped out of their position on her chest to place her hands confidently on her hips. “That is totes a great idea,” she grinned. “But who?”

“I got it,” her reflection’s eyes widened as her grin remained plastered to her face. “That Virgil kid.”

“Oh yeah! I got major love vibes from him toward that little blonde.”

“Ah, there you go,” her reflection smirked. “Your love powers haven’t dwindled at all. You can spot a lovesick sucker from a mile away.”

“Yeah, I still got it,” Aphrodite shrugged as she looked around her temple. “Hope these kids are ready for a big dose of the love goddess’s powers. I am gonna nail this so hard, they won’t be able to stop nailing each other for weeks.”

Aphrodite’s reflection let out an excited squeal. “Go get ‘em girl,” she said before disappearing as Aphrodite poofed herself into the bedroom of Lucia and Virgil.

 

“Is that him?” Varia looked to the shadowed figure, slowly approaching them through the water ahead of them.

“I don’t know who else would be traveling across the River Styx,” Eve shrugged. 

Without a sound, Charon rowed closer, as him and his boat became slowly more illuminated by the torches beside the women. The soft light revealed his long row boat was made entirely of clean, dismembered skeletons that fittingly accessorized the bleak Underworld they were entering as well as Charon’s own dingy aesthetic. 

_It would have been fun_ , Varia thought, _to see Aphrodite and this guy standing next to each other._ Charon was the almost the exact opposite of the goddess they had just been with. Head to toe, he covered his body in an old and tattered, black robe that looked as if it should have been retired as a rag years ago. His hair was long, thick, and greasy, and it hung to the sides of his greenish, pale, and blemished face, both of which looked like they hadn’t been washed in a lifetime.  _ This does not look like a place that she would have fit in. _

“You got your coins,” Charon said as he approached, his voice gravelly and rough, like an old man with a smoking addiction. 

“We’re not dead,” Eve said. “We need to retrieve someone.”

“This is the Underworld, dollface, not an Inn service,” Charon huffed. “You don’t get to just leave whenever you feel like it.”

“But we-” Varia said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you love them,” Charon continued. “They were gone too soon. It wasn’t their time yet. I don’t care. I don’t take the livings across. Especially when you don’t even got a coin. Tell your loved ones how much you miss them in a prayer or something.”

“‘Loved one’ is a bit of a stretch,” Varia said.

“We’re not here for a dead person,” Eve said. “Aphrodite sent us. We’re here to bring back Ares.”

“Aphrodite huh?” Charon said, and paused for a moment with a scowl on his face. “I guess that makes some sense. That chick would do anything to avoid making a trip to the Underworld. She hates it down here.”

“We picked up on that,” Varia said.

“Well, if Aphrodite sent ya,” Charon said. “I’ll let ya on for now. But make sure you tell that broad that if she plans on sending more lackeys down here to do her bidding, she’ll have to send them with a coin next time.

“Will do,” Eve said as her and Varia entered the boat. 

“You know, I think the last time I ever let a living mortal onto this boat,” Charon said as he began rowing away from the shore. “At least a full mortal and not that tightwad Hercules that thinks he can get away with whatever he wants because his daddy’s Zeus, was about 30 years ago. The warrior princess-”

“Xena,” Eve finished. “I know. She was my mother.”

Charon grinned, putting his rotting teeth on full display. “Well why didn’t you say so in the first place,” he said. “You’re a bit of legend down here, ya know.”

Eve nodded, though her face remained unsmiling and distant.

“The despicable Livia, the Bitch of Rome,” Charon smiled. 

“That was a long time ago,” Eve said. 

“Sure, sure,” Charon said. “Turned over a new leaf and all that. Taking after your mom, yada yada. Even got yourself a new name, I hear.”

“She’s changed,” Varia said. 

“Like I said, sure,” Charon’s smile slowly faded, and he went back to focus on his rowing. “I gotta say, I figured I’d be meeting you sooner than later, but I thought it’d be under different circumstances if you know what I mean. If you only heard the people coming down here, swearing vengeance on you and your family. Amazons, warlords, farmers. You really pissed a lot of people off. Racked up almost the body count of your ma.”

Eve looked to her feet without saying a word.

“Of course, a lot of Xena’s victims were a little more high-profile,” Charon continued. “Alti, Callisto, Caesar. You mostly killed defenseless villagers and followers of Eli. Take it from someone that’s seen a lot of death, you gotta set your sights little higher if you really want celebrity status down here.”

“Good thing I don’t want that,” Eve sighed. 

“I’m just saying,” Charon said. 

“Could you stop?” Varia said firmly. 

“Your a pretty grumpy passenger for someone that’s getting a ride for free,” Charon said. “Tell me, princess. What would  _ you _ like to talk about?”

“Is it true that this water can make someone invulnerable?" Varia asked.

"What?" Charon snapped, and turned to look at the women. "Where did you here that?"

"Isn't the the story of Achilles?" Varia said. "His mother dipped him in the River Styx and everything but his ankle became invulnerable?" 

"You know about that?" Charon exclaimed angrily. 

"Everyone knows the story of Achilles," Eve said.

"Damnit, there needs to be someone making sure these stories don't get to mortals," Charon said, then returned to his rowing.

"So it's true?" Varia said.

"Look if I see either one of ya putting one limb into this river," Charon said. "I am going to push you all the way in, and I'm sure as hell not letting you back onto this boat."

"Why would that matter if I was invulnerable?" Varia smiled. "I could just swim to the other side. It's not like anything in here could kill me."

"Yeah but it'd take a long time," Charon said. "And no matter how impervious your skin is, you can still get tired."

Varia looked to Eve, and smirked at her as her hand slowly crept toward the edge of the boat. Eve shook her head furiously, and mouthed the words,  _Varia no_ , to her partner. Varia's eyebrows furrowed as she mouthed back,  _Why?_

"This is why I don't like letting the living onto my boat," Charon muttered to himself, but unknowingly ignored the silent conversation between the two women.  Varia leaned closer to Eve.

"Why don't you want me to?" She whispered. "I'm not going to let him see, it'll be fine."

"Varia, I don't think it's right," Eve whispered. "Human beings aren't supposed to be invulnerable. It's not natural. We should be playing the rules of life just like anyone else."

"C'mon," Varia continued. "We help people. We fight for good. Me, physically, and you with all your spiritual saving and stuff. Anything we can do to increase our chances of survival in this world is a good thing. And not just for us."

"Varia," Eve said. "Just don't."

Varia nodded and pursed her lips as she leaned back away from Eve. She tapped her fingers agitatedly as she looked into the water of the River Styx. 


End file.
